Good morning, Bloomington.

Hearth & Harvest Bakery and Farm Stop opened in Ellettsville on Saturday, Aug.

29 — offering organic breads from the Bearded Baker and a farm stop with products from over 20 local growers. Slaughter Orchard extended its market hours and downtown Trojan Horse remains open despite relocation rumors.

Indiana University welcomes returning students with a scenic campus tour (marking the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year) as it kicks off the new school semester.

The event invites faculty and community members to enjoy IU’s historic grounds.

Indiana University Bloomington was named the top public institution in Indiana in Washington Monthly's Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars ranking released on Sep.

1. It also ranked in the top five public schools in the Midwest, showing its strong public good contribution.

City of Bloomington Utilities has partnered with Oncourse Home Solutions to offer optional home protection plans for residents starting this month.

The program provides 24/7 support and local contractor access to help manage costly water and sewer repairs.

Monroe County Health Department inspected 59 retail food establishments in July and found no violations at 38 while 5 had priority issues (priority violations).

A new map-based interface for inspection reports is now available, though the July batch was slightly delayed due to workflow improvements.

Bloomington nonprofits can apply for up to $55,000 in city Digital Opportunity Grants to boost internet access and digital skills; applications close at 5 p.m. Sept.

29. An online info session is scheduled for 10 a.m. Sept. 3 (via Zoom).

COVID-19 cases are rising as flu season nears following a typical summer surge among Hoosiers.

Indiana health officials advise at-risk residents to get the COVID vaccine for 2025 to 2026 and to stay home when ill — steps that may help contain virus spread.

The Herald-Times Athlete of the Week contest is accepting votes online until noon on Friday, Sept.

4, with local fans choosing from nominees in football, soccer, volleyball, tennis and cross country following last week’s win by Eastern Greene football’s Landon Norris.

Indiana will open their season Saturday at noon at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium against North Texas, where head coach Curt Cignetti expects the team to dominate and limit early mistakes (the team opens as 40.5-point favorites with North Texas reloading their roster).

Indiana men’s soccer moved up to No.6 Tuesday after extending its unbeaten run with a 3-0-1 record and a draw against Louisville.

The team will face Cal Poly this Friday at Bill Armstrong Stadium as coach Todd Yeagley noted limited playing time for key forwards.

Nick McHenry (junior center-back) earned the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award after scoring Indiana's winning goal against Butler on Aug.

27. He became the first defender honored since last September as Indiana kept clean sheets in recent matches.